I was in Huntsville, Texas Wednesday to cover the execution of Charles Thompson. It was the first one I have witnessed in Texas (I have witnessed one in Oklahoma for my previous station). Some context…the witness rooms are pretty small and the one I was in, with the victims’ families, was crowded. The families turned out for this one, 28 years after the crimes. Sometimes there is no one. The execution itself is all business. We were told they “rehearse” to make sure everything goes smoothly. The

33K views · 496 reactions | Established as the first prison in Texas in 1849, the Huntsville Unit, commonly referred to as “The Walls Unit,” has gone through many additions and alterations in its almost 175 years of operation. *Note: The photo used in the video was taken in 2021. #TDCJ #TDCJ175 #tbt #ThrowbackThursday #throwback | Texas Department of Criminal Justice | Facebook

We're recognizing TDCJ's 175th anniversary through November and we couldn't talk about the history of the agency without mentioning where it all began: The Huntsville "Walls" Unit. #TDCJ #FromTheFiles #texas #history | Texas Department of Criminal Justice